1. Improve communication with employees

The importance of communication in the workplace can not be overemphasized. Great communication is essential for building healthy employer/employee relationships and getting work done. According to a study, businesses that communicate effectively have lower turnover rates and improve work productivity. But, when employees feel like communication is flawed or management isn’t listening, they begin to disengage from the work process, and productivity suffers.
According to the book “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by well-known American entrepreneur and investor Ben Horowitz,

“One of a CEO’s most important operational responsibilities is developing and executing a communication architecture for the company.”

This architecture may include organizational design, meetings, procedures, email, and even one-on-one meetings between managers and workers.
If your company does not have a well-designed communication architecture, information and ideas will lose value, and it will become an unpleasant place to work. Although one-on-one meetings are not required for a good communication architecture, they are an excellent way for information and ideas to move up the company and should be included in your plan.

Great communication builds healthy employer/employee relationships and improves team productivity.

Communication should be a two-way street. Employers/managers need to create a work environment where employees can express their opinions and concerns without fear of getting in trouble.

Communication that is clear and open ensures that everyone is on the same page about the company’s goals and expectations.

Here are some communication strategies that may be useful:
Meet as a team regularly to foster a professional environment in which team members can freely communicate.
Hold one-on-one meetings with each employee to allow for a more direct discussion.
Involve employees in decision-making so that they do not feel excluded.
Consider implementing new technologies to assist your employees in communicating more effectively.
Leave room for employee input and feedback.

Importance of communication in the workplace:
It boosts employee morale and participation.
It contributes to the creation of a pleasant working environment.
It provides employees with a better understanding of their employment terms and encourages them to stay committed.
It increases employee productivity at work.
It gives employees a voice.
It reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings and workplace tension.

2. Boost employee motivation in the workplace

​When employees feel appreciated, their motivation in the workplace increases, as does their productivity. Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective strategies for achieving this. Positive reinforcements are a great way to show your employees that their efforts are appreciated. Recognizing exceptional performance is also a good idea because it encourages employees to keep doing their best.

It is important is it to boost employee motivation in the workplace!

A large part of an employee’s day is spent in the workplace. So, ​when employees work in a great environment that encourages growth and fosters productivity, they become happy and look forward to every workday. An employee that enjoys coming into work every day is more likely to show more interest in their work and feel driven to perform well.

Motivated employees are productive employees.

Ways to motivate employees and increase productivity

There’s an endless list of workplace reward systems that may increase employee productivity and motivation.

Give gifts that promote health and well-being
You may show your appreciation to your workers by encouraging their well-being. You don’t have to have a gym at your office; you may provide monthly memberships or free complimentary passes to your employees’ favorite yoga studios or gyms instead.
Surprise your employees
Who doesn’t appreciate a nice surprise every now and then? You could organize a pleasant outing for everyone. It could be anything from a paid lunch to a picnic to a team hike. You could also consider surprising your employees with little presents like movie tickets, all-expense-paid manicures and pedicures, shopping vouchers, and gift cards as a way of thanking them for their hard work.
Celebrate birthdays or anniversaries
Honoring your workers’ birthdays is a wonderful way to motivate them. Everyone wants to be remembered on their birthday. The whole team may celebrate the employee’s birthday with flowers, a cake, or a monetary present.
Reward good work
Another great way to thank your employees is to give due credit to those who have earned it and inform the rest of the employees about it.

You could do this by displaying WorkTime leaderboard reports on the office wall, where the whole team can see them.

Leaderboard reports are excellent for recognizing your top departments or employees. They are also a great way to increase employee engagement. Every successful workday is represented with a star on the leaderboard.
This can be a great way to recognize high-performing employees while motivating underperformers.
Simply say “Thank you”
The greatest way to show appreciation to your employees is to say “Thank you” in person. Even if you just have a few minutes, expressing gratitude is invaluable. Make it a habit to thank your employees by looking them in the eyes and saying, “Thank you.” It costs nothing and goes a long way.

3. Adjust working schedules to employee chronotypes

Employees’ personal characteristics and circadian rhythms have an impact on productivity in the workplace. This is why, to maintain a productive and healthy work environment, it is highly important that everyone performs at their peak. Businesses can create flexible productivity schedules that allow employees to work when they are most productive, depending on their chronotypes.
American clinical psychologist, Michael Breus, classifies people into four chronotypes:
1. Bear chronotype
2. Lion chronotype
3. Dolphin chronotype
4. Wolf chronotype
Each chronotype outlines a collection of personal characteristics such as sleep cycles, activity level, and so on that may assist companies and workers know their productivity peaks.
A brief questionnaire can help you understand how you can assist your employees in performing at their best. You can find some great questionnaires online, such as Micheal Breus’s chronotype quiz Thepowerofwhenquiz, or if your workplace has a professional psychologist, they can assist you with this task.

Here’s an example from Micheal Breus chronotype quiz:
Does the slightest sound or light keep you awake or wake you up.
Do you use an alarm clock to get out of bed at a certain time?
Are you often irritable due to fatigue?
Have you been diagnosed as an insomniac by a doctor or self-diagnosed?
Do you consider yourself to be a perfectionist?
When would you wake up if you had nothing to do the next day and permitted yourself to sleep in as long as you wanted?
If you could choose your own five-hour workday, which blocks of consecutive hours would you choose?
The information obtained from the questionnaire responses can be put to good use, for example:

The bear chronotype in your office is most active in the morning, with productivity peaks between (10 AM-2 PM), and can complete more work during this time. They begin to lose steam after lunch (2 – 4 PM), so assigning employees with the bear chronotype urgent or difficult tasks during this period will only impede their productivity.

Employees with the lion chronotype are the early risers in your office. They are most productive in the hours before noon (8 AM -12 PM). They begin to lose concentration between (2 – 4 PM). Early shifts and lunch breaks at (noon) and lighter tasks after this time are the most effective ways to maximize their productivity.

The dolphin chronotypes are mostly insomniacs. They prefer to start the workday with easy tasks and then focus on more demanding tasks in the middle of the morning (10 AM to 12 PM) when they are most productive. Allowing short breaks to relax and recharge at work is the best way to boost their productivity.

Employees with the wolf chronotype are most productive in the late afternoon between (12- 4 PM). In this case, creating a flexible work schedule makes it much easier to complete all their tasks during the day.
Adjust working hours according to employee chronotypes for better productivity in the workplace.

Once you’ve identified the chronotypes in your workplace and made all necessary work schedule adjustments, you can use WorkTime productivity monitoring software in measuring employee productivity outcomes. It is recommended to install WorkTime first to measure the outcomes before, during, and after this exercise.

Apply WorkTime employee productivity monitoring to measure the effectiveness of the chronotypes technique.

WorkTime employee productivity monitoring reports will show you when your employees are more and less productive when they are more active or idle and if they’re working according to their schedule (attendance, if they take the lunch break as scheduled).
Also with WorkTime employee productivity monitoring software, you can see whether this approach is working for you.

4. Make your office feel like home

Maintaining a pleasant and productive work environment can benefit both you as an employer and your employees. Creating a nicely designed space where employees can rest and unwind when needed shows them that their work/life balance is important to the business. Employees who are well treated tend to feel more empowered at work and are encouraged to be more productive.

What makes employees feel at home at work?

Today’s workplace is not the same as it was a few years ago. Employers have recognized that an inspiring work environment coupled with a positive work culture may make employees happier and more engaged, directly improve employee productivity.
The work environment can contribute to low engagement. Examine every aspect of your workplace and how it affects the health and well-being of your employees.
Even minor changes, such as great lighting, adding plants, or a new colour scheme in the office, can significantly impact workforce productivity.

An inspiring work environment combined with a positive work culture may make employees happier and more engaged and increase staff productivity.

Many leading companies, including Google, Samsung, and Apple, have maintained overall corporate success by promoting and maintaining a pleasant work environment that encourages workers to be more productive.
Take Google office setups, for example. Google has designed a variety of flexible work alternatives, from workstations that are effective for sharing and developing ideas to modern event spaces and meeting rooms, taking into account the personalities and dynamics of their workforce.
Employees are there to work but also feel comfortable while doing so. They have access to a wide range of facilities and services such as gaming areas, pet areas, creativity rooms such as music rooms, salons, pantries and restaurants with free meals, swimming pools, gyms, on-site medical personnel, massage services, a nap room, and the list goes on. They’ve also paid attention to excellent lighting, color schemes, organic shapes, and other outdoor amenities.

Google has carefully blended the best of both worlds to create a workplace intended to boost productivity and ensure workforce satisfaction.

Some useful tips for creating an ideal work environment:
1. The most important factor to consider is that you’re designing spaces to ensure the well-being and productivity of your staff.
2. When creating an innovative and productive work environment, we suggest you interact with your employees and find out what works for them. This could be done through questionnaires.

5. Help employees spend free time effectively

Finding out what your employees enjoy doing when they’re not working is a great way to boost employee productivity. When encouraged, free time activities can help avoid workplace burnout and improve employee efficiency. Questionnaires are one way to discover what motivates and inspires your employees. This approach may help workers understand how spending free time can boost productivity and improve their quality of life. If your company has a psychologist on board, they can assist with this exercise.

Finding out what your employees enjoy doing when they’re not working is a great way to improve employee productivity.

The impacts of spending free time activities effectively

Promotes a better work-life balance
A healthy work-life balance makes your employees happier and more productive. A good work-life balance allows them to have complete control over their professional lives while also simplifying their lives in general.
Enhances both physical and mental well-being
The human brain is not built to be constantly anxious and under pressure. Finding productive ways to pass time at work helps with stress management, mood regulation, and overall health. As a result, overall productivity rises.
Encourages creativity
Your employees will be more focused at work if they take time out to rest and engage in fun free time activities. This will enable them to think more clearly and be more creative at work.

Ways to help employees make the most of their free time

Encourage your team to spend free time pursuing hobbies and interests
Employees can spend their free time productively pursuing interests, learning new skills, listening to uplifting music, connecting with friends and family, reading a good book, connecting with nature, or volunteering. There are numerous productive ways to spend free time, but this does not include excessive television viewing or web surfing. These two activities do not provide adequate rest. So, we strongly advise that they make productive use of time, even leisure time.
Promote self-care
Employers can encourage their employees to take breaks as needed, eat nutritious meals, and exercise as much as possible. When they are stressed at work, they should take a break. Finally, it is essential that they pay close attention to their bodies to understand what it requires at any given time.
WorkTime monitors staff productivity indicators such as idle time, attendance, and application and website usage. The advantage of using this productivity monitoring tool is that it runs in the background and does not interfere with employees’ work.

You don’t need to change your regular work routine. Simply incorporate WorkTime to increase productivity at work.

6. Engage employees in team building activities

Team building activities are superb to boost morale, inspire creativity, and foster collaboration while improving communication and productivity. According to Gallup, companies that invest in team-building activities have higher productivity, better employee retention, and 21% increased profits.

These activities help to strengthen coworker relationships and create a good working atmosphere.

Team building activities are a superb way to boost morale, inspire creativity, and foster collaboration while improving communication and productivity.
Team building aims to bring individuals together through fun activities that require them to work together as a team. So, for this to yield great results, it is important that management chooses activities that are best suited for the team. If possible, get feedback to better understand your team’s preferences and areas of focus. Team-building activities that promote a diverse workplace while remaining inclusive should be considered.

There are many team building games and activities available on the internet. They can be divided into indoor team building games, outdoor team building, and virtual team building activities.
Here are just a handful of the numerous options that have helped improve employee productivity:
Icebreaker
These indoor team activities are an excellent way to break the ice among employees, allowing them to relax and get to know one another while also improving communication skills.
Barter puzzle
Another team building game that encourages conversation and engagement. This team building exercise will undoubtedly pull out your team’s finest negotiators and strategists.
Office trivia
Putting your team’s professional knowledge to the test is a fun way for your team to connect. This entertaining game teaches workers problem-solving skills as well as basic facts about your company culture.
Code of conduct
A simple yet effective team building activity that builds trust and reinforces group values.
Improving self-esteem
Complimenting colleagues is all that this team building activity entails. As a result, it elevates employees’ self-esteem and makes them feel appreciated by their coworkers.
Egg drop
Every day employees have to make dozens of decisions on various issues at work. This team activity increases the ability to make quick and effective decisions, which is crucial when dealing with problems.
Virtual escape room: Jewel heist
Your remote team isn’t left out either. This virtual game is a brain teaser that requires teamwork, innovative problem-solving, and thinking outside the box.

These team building activities create a positive and welcoming work environment, which encourages workers to establish trust, work efficiently, and the result will be increased productivity.
Try them out and see a dramatic boost in employee efficiency.

7. Help your employees identify what decreases productivity

Every business’s goal is to have a high-performing workforce because companies thrive when their employees are most productive.
But, if employees aren’t performing their duties, the chances are that the decreased productivity in the workplace will have a massive impact on its bottom line. As a result, the company will suffer losses.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, 85% of employees are often disengaged at work, affecting productivity levels and costing businesses about $7 trillion every year.
Identifying the root cause is one of the most effective ways to eliminate low productivity.

Workplace stress
Stress is one of the factors that contribute to decreased workplace productivity. According to a study conducted by the American Institute of Stress, 80% of employees experience job-related stress. When your team is overloaded with too many tasks or duties at once, they become anxious and lose focus, resulting in setbacks and bottlenecks.
A good way to address this is to simplify these tasks, assign the amount of work that they can complete and keep track of it, and, if possible, delegate tasks to other teams or departments. In addition, you could use stress management techniques, training, or even provide avenues for employees to speak with a professional.

Disorganization & multitasking
Another cause of low workplace productivity is multitasking. Employees who juggle multiple tasks will not give their full attention to each task, resulting in disarray and missed deadlines. Also, employees who do not know how to organize their work properly may be less productive.
A great way to solve this problem is to use employee productivity monitoring software.

WorkTime digital screenshot feature records which applications are open and visible to employees and the productivity % of the whole screen and its visible part.

Distractions in the workplace
Employees are subjected to numerous distractions throughout the day, which may prevent them from performing their duties. It begins with a single Facebook notification and progresses to several minutes spent browsing their favorite shoe website. When all this time is totaled up, you begin to see exactly how much these distractions eat into productivity levels. ​

WorkTime measures and improves employee and team distraction scores. It provides reports that indicate what precisely is keeping employees distracted.

This helps to improve the office environment and optimize the working process.
Read about how WorkTime decreased the use of social network sites to increase productivity at work.

Excessive meetings
Meetings are an essential element of every business because ideas for business growth are being made, and overall productivity is assessed during this time. However, in many instances, this becomes a wasteful activity that takes up a lot of your employees’ time, resulting in low productivity at work.

A good approach would be to use the WorkTime online meetings feature to monitor the time spent in meetings.

Micromanagement
Micromanagement is another significant contributor to low productivity levels in the workplace. According to studies, nearly 80% of employees have been subjected to micromanagement, which demotivates employees and leads to unproductive employee behavior.

With WorkTime, you don’t need to stand behind an employee’s desk to observe how they work, what applications they use, and what affects their productivity.

8. Create productivity plan

Planning is important for long-term growth and increased productivity in the workplace. Poor planning, or even no planning, will leave the entire team feeling overwhelmed and unable to keep the work process moving forward in the long run. The good news is, all these can be avoided with a productivity plan.
A productivity plan consists of specific steps to improve productivity. It also addresses all aspects that may affect overall productivity. In your productivity plan, you can define long- and short-term goals that align with the company’s mission, as well as tasks that need to be completed in order of priority so your team can prioritize work and optimize their daily schedule.

Prioritize goals
Productivity planning makes it easier to prioritize SMART goals. SMART goals assist supervisors and managers in setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals for each department and employee. This way, your team will understand what is important and required to achieve business objectives.
Plan your routine work
Proper planning is essential for employee efficiency. Routine planning helps in the clarification of each department’s and employee’s roles and expectations. Employees already understand their duties and which tasks or activities should be prioritized. This way, there will be no room for chaos throughout the workday, and they will be more engaged and motivated to achieve the goals for the day.
Plan as the most successful CEOs
Planning is required for effective time management. Productivity planning aids in organizing daily schedules, the proper allocation of time, and the setting of deadlines. Every business can learn a thing or two from the work ethics of some well-known business people, like Elon Musk. Elon Musk plans his working calendar using a time management technique known as Timeboxing, in which he divides his tasks and activities into four phases. The phase of planning, blocking, acting, and revising. As a result, he can have a more structured and productive workday.
Plan meeting times
Even with a great productivity plan, staying focused on the day’s plans will be difficult without additional productivity management tools to assist teams in adhering to the plan. For example, it is important to plan online meetings and spend as little time as possible. Employees may be unaware of how much time they spend in online meetings. In addition to planning online meetings, you can record the time spent in meetings with WorkTime.

WorkTime monitors how much time is spent in online meetings.

WorkTime records which applications were used for online meetings, how long, when, on which computers, and by which employees. The online meetings report displays the top meeting employees, frequently used meeting applications, online meeting history, and other useful information.
Help your employees improve organizational skills
Individual organizational skills are fundamental to the success of the overall project. Employees who lack organizational skills may be unaware of it. Furthermore, they may be unaware that they are the organization’s weak links. WorkTime will monitor employee productivity and improve the so-called employee distraction score. Businesses can reduce distraction levels, improve the office environment, and optimize the working process based on the distraction score reports.

Set your productivity goals and use WorkTime to measure employee productivity.

Monitor employee productivity
Planning also establishes the indicators that evaluate and improve work productivity. For example, if the productivity plan already has the plans for the day outlined and at the end of the workday it appears that not much has been accomplished, managers can use WorkTime digital screenshot feature to understand how a specific employee/department worked, what programs were used, and what affected productivity.

Apply WorkTime to understand how a specific employee/department worked, what programs were used, and what affected productivity.

9. Conflict management in the workplace

Conflict in the workplace is almost unavoidable when individuals from different backgrounds and working styles come together for the same objective. Although it is a common occurrence in the workplace, it may lead to demotivation, low productivity, absenteeism and other problems that can cost the business. Workplace conflict costs the United States $359 billion annually in lost time and productivity.

In his book “The Hard Thing About Hard Things“, Ben Horowitz recounts how an unconventional approach to conflict management was used to resolve a tough management problem. Two of the company’s finest teams, customer service and sales engineering, were at odds. The sales engineers complained that the support team’s failure to respond quickly and solve problems was putting a strain on sales and customer satisfaction. On the other hand, customer support claimed that the sales engineers had reported bugs without proof, ignored fix recommendations, and were alarmists who prioritized every complaint.

There was no denying that the two groups disagreed. Still, they needed to collaborate to keep the company running smoothly, so he devised an effective conflict resolution strategy to improve work productivity and engagement.
He stumbled on the film Freaky Friday, which stars a mother and daughter who are so frustrated with each other’s inability to understand each other that they want to swap roles, which they eventually do.
Being inside each other’s bodies teaches both characters about the challenges that the other faces. As a result of the exchange, the two become the best of friends.
After seeing the movie, he devised the Freaky Friday management approach. He put it into action by having the heads of the two departments switch positions. After a week in their new jobs, both executives had identified the underlying reasons for the conflict. As a result, they were able to put an end to the fighting and reunite the teams.
Conflict in the workplace is caused by a variety of factors, including:
Individuals with different personality types.
When workplace requirements are not fulfilled.
When tasks and responsibilities are not clearly defined.
When organizational change is poorly managed.
Poor communication, such as misunderstandings.
Different approaches to work.

On a more positive note, conflict can be a catalyst for new ideas, creativity, increased productivity, better working relationships and corporate success when managed effectively.

The following are a few conflict resolution strategies to ensure conflict management in the workplace:
1. Employers should provide defined employee handbooks, policies, and written agreements.
2. Good conflict resolution in the workplace requires proper management. Management should ensure that all workers are responsible for resolving conflict.
4. Employers may successfully manage workplace conflict by fostering a work culture that strives to avoid conflict wherever feasible and by dealing with dispute quickly and fairly when it occurs.
5. Management could have an open-door approach in which they are more receptive to their employees’ needs and concerns. This encourages workers to meet with supervisors/employers to talk about and address work-related problems.
6. Performance evaluation and feedback are also effective conflict resolution techniques. Performance evaluations are necessary and should be conducted regularly. These evaluations may include discussions about business goals and objectives and factors influencing productivity and performance (this can be determined through using tools like productivity tracking software to monitor employee productivity). Managers can positively convey this knowledge to employees to build a more solid team and improve overall performance.

Productivity tracking software can help managers to get detailed feedback on workplace performance.

10. Make your workplace a good place to work

As per Ben Horowitz: “My old boss Jim Barksdale was fond of saying, “We take care of the people, the products, and the profits—in that order.” It’s a simple saying, but it’s deep.
“Taking care of the people” is the most difficult of the three by far, and if you don’t do it, the other two won’t matter. Taking care of the people means that your company is a good place to work. Most workplaces are far from good. As organizations grow large, important work can go unnoticed, the hardest workers can get passed over by the best politicians, and bureaucratic processes can choke out the creativity and remove all the joy.”

Employee efficiency can be tracked using employee productivity tracking software.
This technology helps in measuring employee productivity by monitoring their computer activities during work hours.
The reports generated by employee productivity monitoring software helps companies discover areas where workers need to increase productivity, identify top performers/underperformers, and guarantee maximum workplace efficiency.

WorkTime is productivity tracking software, 20+ years on the market!

Productivity tracking software is designed to measure & improve parameters that help increase employee productivity.

Statistics on workplace productivity

A survey by OfficeTeam reveals that employees spend approximately eight hours per week on non-productive activities. According to the study, employees may be on Facebook, Twitter, making purchases on their favorite online shop, or sports and gaming sites when they should be working.
Another report estimates that $15.5 billion in lost productivity occurs each week due to employees being distracted by their electrical gadgets.
Measuring employee productivity is very important, which is why employee productivity tracking software is very useful in the first place.

By using productivity tracking software, employers can detect and evaluate workplace distractions.

What does productivity tracking software record?

The following indicators are recorded in real-time by a good employee productivity tracker:
Employee screen productivity,
Productivity/unproductive, active/idle times,
Websites/URLs visited,
Attendance, login/logout times,
A user’s login and computer name,
Social networks use,
Software and documents use, and more.